Italy Wine Encyclopedia

Destemming Plucking the berries from the stalks before fermentation; happens automatically TappingThe goals pursued with the tapping are diverse. First, the wine is separated from its lees (the leftover yeast), its trub (deposit) and undissolved parts of fruit pulp and...

BalsamBalsams are plant secretions or viscous solutions of resin and essential oils from plants such as the balsam poplar, balsam fir and balsam herb. These tertiary substances are used in medicine and perfumery and have a resinous, slightly bitter and...

DOCGDOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita = controlled and guaranteed designation of origin) is the highest rating level for Italy's wines and thus stands above the quality level DOC. DOCG wines have to meet strict requirements in terms of...

Stainless steel tankA fermentation in a stainless steel tank is a reductive fermentation that requires less oxygen than fermentation in a wooden barrel (barrique). The stainless steel tank became widespread in the wine business from the 1960s. Its advantages are...

Gavi The Gavi, also Cortese di Gavi, is one of the most popular white wines in Italy. It is obtained entirely from the Cortese grape variety. Its original cultivation area is the municipality of Gavi in ​​the east of Piedmont,...

Frizzante The Frizzante is a popular Italian semi-sparkling wine. As a semi-sparkling wine, it has a moderate carbon dioxide content of one to less than three bar pressure. The artificial addition of carbonic acid is permitted and must be indicated...

HectareThe hectare is the usual measure in the wine industry. The term is of Greek origin (“hekatón” = 100) and was adopted from French. The French had recomposed the term with the prefixes "hecto" = 100 and "are" = area)....

Cabinet second lowest category of German quality wines, lowest level of Prädikat wines. Wines of all flavors that may not be improved are marketed under the Kabinett name. Depending on the growing area, the minimum must weight is 67-82°Oe. lime...

IGT IGT or the Indicazione Geografica Tipica was a classification created in 1998 with the aim of creating a middle rating level between the rating for simple table wines (VDT) and the high-quality DOCG wines. After the EU wine market...

Latin wineIn Latin, wine is called vinum, which is also reflected in the Roman proverb: "in vinum veritas" (truth lies in wine). What is meant by the idiom is the tendency of drinkers to become talkative above a certain alcohol...

Mâcon Maconnais wine-growing area south of the Côte Chalonnaise named after the city of Mâcon in French Burgundy; a total of about 1400 ha (2003) are under vines, mostly planted with Chardonnay. In addition to the regional appellations Mâcon, Mâcon...

Nebbiolo Nebbiolo is one of the most demanding and slowest-growing grape varieties. It can only develop its qualities and mature into a heavy and profound wine with an alcohol content of up to 15% vol. on steep slopes facing south...

OechslegradOechslegrad is the basis for calculating the sugar content in wines, which provides information about the later alcohol content of the wine. The evaluation system is based on the research of the pharmacist Christian Ferdinant Oechsle (1774 - 1852), who,...

PH PH is measured on a scale from 0 (strongly acidic) to 14 (strongly alkaline). The average is tap water, which should have a pH value of 7 and is therefore acid-neutral. In wines, the PH value is based on...

Red wineRed wine is made exclusively from blue grapes. In contrast to white wine, the seeds, skins and stems are also fermented during pressing. These contain valuable tannins, flavorings and colorings that already begin to develop during the mash fermentation....

Sulphur dioxideSulphur dioxide (sulfite) is a water-soluble preservative that prevents wine from oxidizing by inhibiting the enzymes that transfer oxygen. Many wine experts see the sulfite in the wine as an alternative for microbiological hygiene and therefore the marketing of...

Drinking temperatureWines have an optimal drinking temperature at which they taste best. This varies from wine to wine. One of the tasks of wine experts and tasters is therefore to determine the optimal drinking temperature when tasting wines.The temperature control...

Find out more about Piedmont wine in the Babarolo wine dictionary! Here is letter C! Buy Piemonte wines at Babarolo Weinhandel!

Valpolicella DOC designation of origin for wines from the northern Italian region of Veneto. The red wine varieties Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, Rossignola, Negrara, Barbera and Sangiovese are cultivated on almost 5000ha of vineyards in the hinterland of the city of...

Walker Bay Area (Ward) of South Africa's wine-growing district of Overberg in the Coastal Region; the area on the coast of the Indian Ocean is characterized by its particularly mild maritime climate and its calcareous soil. Some of South Africa's...